The Apartment
by greymind
Summary: This story is another scenario about how Burke learns of Cristina's other apartment.
1. Chapter 1

**Interior – Cristina & Burke's apartment**

_Cristina stands by the bookshelf looking at the picture of her and Burke from their disastrous Thanksgiving when Burke enters the apartment. _

Cristina: Hey

Burke: Hi, you're home early

Burke comes over and gives Cristina a big hug.

Burke: …and you smell great!

Cristina: Thanks. You want a glass of wine before dinner?

Burke: No I'm going to get a quick workout. You made dinner?

Cristina: Uh no but I thought that we could go to that Indian place down the street.

Burke: Great. I just need about an hour.

_Burke walks over gives Cristina a kiss. He loved the way she smelled. He had barely seen her today and was looking forward to spending an entire evening with her without either of them being exhausted. As he walks away towards the bedroom Cristina reaches her hand out for him and takes a deep breath. _

Cristina: Wait. I need to talk to you.

Burke: What's on your mind?

Cristina's eyes are welling up with tears as she stares at the floor.

Cristina: I still have my old apartment

Burke: What?

_Burke is looking back at her with disappointment. It was the look that she had envisioned in her mind so many times and dreaded._

Cristina: My old apartment. I haven't ended my lease.

Burke: Why? No don't answer that. Why can't you just commit to us?

Cristina: Commit? I am here with you every night everyday every weekend. I'm with

you. I don't even ever go to that apartment.

Burke: Then why keep it?

_Cristina just looks at him with tears in her eyes. She felt as if the dam would burst if she opened her mouth to say a word. All she could think was how this was the moment. This was the moment that… _

Burke: I mean why? Are you keeping it for when you're ready to leave?

Cristina: No! No!

Burke: THEN WHY? TELL ME!

Cristina: Stop yelling at me!

_She had so much trouble thinking when he yelled at her. It was so distracting to her._

Burke: You can't even give me a reason can you?

Burke shakes his head and grabs his coat.

Burke: I can't believe that you've been lying all of this time.

Cristina: I'm sorry but I want to…where are you going? Can't we talk about this?

Burke: No, right now I've got nothing to say. I'll see you tomorrow.

Cristina: Burke!

_Cristina watches Burke walk out of their apartment and a single tear rolls down her face._


	2. Chapter 2

**Next morning – interior Burke & Cristina's apartment**

_Meredith walks into the kitchen and Cristina hands her a cup of coffee. _

Cristina: Thanks for coming over last night.

Meredith: Sure

Cristina: So how bad do I look?

Meredith: Not so bad for a girl who downed half a bottle of vodka and spent the better

part of the night crying.

_Cristina stares blankly_

Meredith: Nothing a few eye drops and a little makeup won't fix.

Cristina: I knew this was going to happen…him just walking away. Where'd he sleep

last night anyway? That was the first night since Thanksgiving that we

haven't been together when we weren't on-call. I knew this was going to

happen.

Meredith: First, you did not know this was going to happen. You were scared

this was going to happen. There's a difference. Second, he didn't walk

away he just went some place else to think.

Cristina: Sure, whatever. We're gonna be late.

Meredith: First, the eye drops and makeup

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_**Seattle Grace On-Call Room**_

_Burke lays on the bed in the on-call room. He had barely slept. All he could think about was her. He just kept replaying the scene in his head. He had felt badly about yelling at her. It always upset her so much if he yelled. It's just that he could not believe that she had been lying. He just didn't understand why. Things seemed to be going so well. He had been scared that she would just end their relationship one day but he had pushed that fear to the back of his mind. They were happy. He knew they were happy. That was real. It couldn't all have been a lie. He knew he shouldn't have walked out. He should have stayed and talk. She actually wanted to talk. He was just so hurt. So disappointed. Now he missed her even though it was just one night. He was so used to falling asleep with her and one of his favorite parts of the day was waking up with her there. It always surprised him how much in love with her he was. _

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**Intern Locker Room**

_Alex, Izzie, Cristina, George and Meredith are in the locker room waiting to get picked up by their new resident. Cristina is laying on the bench with her eyes closed._

Karev: You're not catching any good cases laying on a bench Yang.

Cristina: Shut it evil spawn.

_Cristina sat up._

George: So what are you and Burke fighting about anyway?

_Meredith and Izzy flash George a look of death. Even Karev looked away knowing that George's question was a bad one. Cristina sighed, stood up and started walking out of the room._

Cristina: I'm going to get coffee.

George: You're going to be late for rounds!

_Cristina walks out of the room _

Meredith: George…what kind of question was that!

George: Whaaat?

Izzy: Is Cristina okay? She looks terrible.

Meredith: She thinks Burke's going to break up with her because she's still got her

apartment.

Izzy: So Burke left their apartment to stay somewhere else because he was upset that

she kept her old apartment?

Meredith: Yup

Alex: He should've made her leave.

Izzy: Nice Alex!

Meredith: She'll be okay. They'll be okay.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hallway outside of intern locker room**

_As Cristina is walking out of the locker room she literally runs right into Burke. He looked tired. She wondered where he slept last night. Neither had said a word just stood there looking at each other when Addison walks up._

Addison: Good morning Preston, Cristina!

Burke: Good morning Addison.

Cristina: Hi.

_Awkward silence with neither Burke nor Cristina looking at each other then Burke turns and walks away. _

Addison: Okaaay then. Dr. Yang where are your fellow interns?

Cristina: Locker room.

Addison: Well, let's go get them shall we! I have your assignments for today.

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**Intern Locker Room**

Addison: Good morning! Dr. Webber has decided that the attendings will rotate

supervising you until Dr. Bailey's back. Any requests?

Meredith: I'd like to be assigned to Dr. Burke's surgery this morning.

Cristina gives Meredith a dagger look.

Addison: Ok if there are no other requests. Stevens you're in the Pitt, O'Malley you're

with Shepperd, Karev with Webber and Yang you're with me. You'll do rounds

with those attendings this morning.

_The interns start to disperse and Cristina grabs Meredith's arm._

Cristina: What are you doing? Why did you request Burke?

Meredith: Because I didn't want to be with Addison, Derek or Webber. Don't worry.

Cristina: I'm not worried.

Meredith: Sure you are and that's okay.

Cristina: Whatever!

Addison: Dr. Yang

_Cristina gives Meredith a suspicious look and they both leave the room._

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**Hallway during rounds.**

_Cristina is quiet and yawns repeatedly during their walk._

Addison: Dr. Yang you look tired. I didn't see your name on the on-call schedule for last night.

Cristina: Insomnia.

Addison: Oh I thought that maybe you and Dr. Burke had a fight. I saw him roll out of

the on call room this morning wearing the same thing he was in yesterday and

he was not on the on-call schedule either then the two of you seemed very

awkward earlier in the hallway.

_Addison stopped walking, paused and Cristina stared at the floor trying to hide her relief that he spent the night at the hospital and not with someone else. ._

Addison: I just wondered if you could use any help.

Cristina: No….thanks but there's nothing anyone can do. I could just use some coffee.

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Burke: Good morning Dr. Grey!

Meredith: Good morning!

Burke: So you're my intern of the day, huh.

Meredith: Yeah

_Meredith takes a deep breath unsure if this is the right thing to do._

Meredith: Your apartment it's really nice.

Burke: Excuse me?

Meredith: Your apartment – yours and Cristina's. Cristina called me to come over last

night. She was in pretty bad shape.

_Burke attempts to hide his look of concern at Meredith's use of the phrase "bad shape." Cristina did look upset this morning when he saw her. She did not have her usual "I'm going to get the best case even if I have to kill someone" look going on._

Burke: Dr. Grey we have surgery this morning. I don't think this is the most appropriate

time or place to have this conversation.

Meredith: Just thought you might like to know that she's not just looking to bail.


	4. Chapter 4

**Patient Room During Rounds**

Addison: Hi Alexandra, I am Dr. Sheppard. How are you feeling this morning?

Alexandra: Okay, better if you call me Xand

Alexandra: Okay Xand and Mrs. Walsh. This is Dr. Yang she'll be working with us

today.

Mrs. Walsh: Alexandra is still uncomfortable. Is there anything that you can give her for

the pain. She's responded very well in the past to morphine, dilaudid.

Yang raises her eyebrow.

Addison: Well I'd like to get the test results back before we start medicating her.

Mrs. Walsh: She's supposed to compete in L.A. on Saturday. Do you see any problem

with that?

Alexandra: Mom! Let Dr. Sheppard be the doctor.

Cristina: Compete?

Alexandra: I…

Mrs. Walsh: Alexandra is a gymnast. She is on track to make the 2008 Olympic team.

Cristina: Oh

Addison: Xand's tests have all come back negative so far. Are you still having the abdominal pain?

Xand: Yes

Addison: Well, if the last test comes back inconclusive we could schedule an exploratory procedure to see if we can isolate the pain.

Mrs. Walsh: Surgery? That would mean she would miss the next competition. How long before she'd be able to compete again?

Xand: Mom, if that's what they need to do to make sure I am okay then that's what they need to do. There will be other competitions.

Cristina looks at Xand with strangely.

Mrs. Walsh: There are only 2 competitions left before the Olympic trials.

Addison: Well we can wait to decide until the last test result comes back which will be the end of the day. Until then just try to relax.

_Addison and Cristina walk out of Xand's room._

Cristina: Alexandra's lying. There's nothing wrong with her.

Addison: What?

Cristina: Athletes who no longer want to compete will go to great lengths to end their

careers without saying the words I want to stop.

Addison: She's 17 she should be able to say she wants to stop.

Cristina: I had a mother who prepaid four years at Juiliard so confident that I would be a prima ballerina. I was so desperate to get out that I faked injuries, danced with untreated injuries until finally I screwed up my ankle so bad that I needed 3 surgeries, 6 months of physical therapy and was told I would never dance again. Still my mother was convinced that she had a star so she took my passion for horseback riding and turned it into an Olympic dream. In 4 years I was a national champion and on my way to the Olympics. Do you know how hard it is to get injured on a horse without breaking your neck?

Addison: Not very easy I would imagine.

Cristina: No and after two concussions I decided that it was safer to just bide my time until I was 18 and could decide on my own. I secretly applied to colleges and when I was 18 I walked away from the training…from the Olympics. It was not an easy walk and to this day my mother tells me that it was the dumbest decision I have ever made next to becoming a doctor.

Addison: So you're saying that she is making up ailments to get out of competing?

Cristina: Yes

Addison: Interesting theory. I guess you will need to talk to her about that later.

_They stop in the hallway and Addison catches a glimpse of Cristina's bloodshot eyes._

Addison: Cristina you're exhausted why don't you go to sleep for a little bit in the on-

call room? You did a great job with Alexandra's case and we've got a lite

schedule today.

Cristina: No I'm fine…I

Addison: You're not fine. You probably didn't even sleep last night. Go to sleep before

you make a mistake. You're not seeing the inside of an OR until you do and I

am confident you'll make up the time at the end of the day.

_Addison walks away leaving Cristina by herself in the hallway._

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**Meredith and Burke at the nurse's station**

Meredith: Dr. Burke would you mind if I spoke to you as a non-intern for a few minutes.

_Burke sighs_.

Burke: Is this non-intern going to be my girlfriend's best friend?

Meredith: Yes.

Burke: Ok. Can we at least have this conversation over coffee?

_Meredith smiles and the two walk towards the cafeteria._

**Cuts to Meredith and Burke in the cafeteria drinking coffee. Alex, George and Izzy are also in the cafeteria eating lunch.**

Meredith: You know it's just because she can't take the pressure.

Burke: Cristina thrives on pressure.

Meredith: You're right she's great under pressure except when it relates to telling the

man she loves that she needs him and is scared to death that he will leave her

so she's keeping an apartment that she doesn't live at so when he leaves her

she can feel like she didn't give up all of her independence to be with him.

_Burke looks at Meredith … stunned._

Burke: Cristina could have talked to me. She didn't have to lie.

Meredith: She's scared. She's changed a lot. You have to give Cristina credit for that.

_Burke just stares at Meredith_

Meredith: Last night, Cristina called me for help then she cried. Cristina. It mattered to

her that much. You matter to her that much.

_Burke leans back in his chair and takes a sip of his coffee. _

George: So what do you think they're talking about?

Alex: I'm sure Grey's sticking her nose somewhere it doesn't belong

Izzy: Where is Cristina anyway?

Alex: Sheppard told her she wouldn't get into the OR until she got some sleep.

Izzy: Meredith said she didn't sleep at all last night. It's weird to see Cristina be the

worried girlfriend.


	5. Chapter 5

**On-Call Room 1:30pm**

_Burke was exhausted. He had barely slept and his conversation with Meredith had left him feeling terrible about what happened. She was right. Cristina had changed and they were happy. He never would have thought that she was scared he would leave her but it all made sense to him now. And why wouldn't she be worried. He kept asking her to move in and he never even told her that he loved her. He just figured she knew it. Like he knew it. Then as he opened the door to the on-call room there she was asleep. He shut the door and walked over to her sitting on the bed and brushing her hair out of her face. God how he loved her. How he needed her. _

Cristina: Burke what are you doing here?

Burke: I didn't sleep so well so I was trying to catch a nap.

Cristina moves over in the bed and Burke lays down next to her.

_Both Burke and Cristina stare at the bunk above them._

Cristina: I'm sorry.

Burke: It's okay.

_Cristina sighs._

Cristina: It scares me how much I love you, how much I need you. I'm not used to that.

Burke: I love you too.

Cristina: I am afraid of it ending and feeling that huge hole where we used to be.

Burke: I understand.

Cristina: You do?

_Cristina props herself up on her elbow and looks at Burke for the first time._

Burke: Yes. Keep your apartment until you're ready to give it up. I love you and we're

together and that's enough for me. I'm sorry I didn't stay and say that last night.

Cristina leaned over and gave Burke a soft kiss. She put her head on his chest (it was one of her favorite places to sleep) and Burke wrapped his arms around her.

Cristina: I missed you last night. Don't leave like that again.

Burke: I won't. I love you.


End file.
